The Changing Wind
by Ryeloza
Summary: A series of vignettes that show moments from an AU world in which Paige grew up with her biological family. My annual fic-a-day piece for 2009.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I have nothing to do with _Charmed_ and I will receive no profit from writing this. Beyond reviews (I hope).

**A/n: **It's December, also known to me as fic-a-day month! Those of you familiar with this know my previous two stories, "What's in a Name" and "Tales of December" from the previous two years. This year I'm trying something a little different, but hopefully you'll all still enjoy it. This month I've decided to spend 31 days writing an AU fic about Paige growing up with her biological family. Each chapter will be a brief moment from the AU world, not necessarily in chronological order, that will wind together how the girls' lives would have been different. I'd love some feedback, so please let me know what you think.

-Katie

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter One**

_October 31, 1977_

"Why do we have to go? I want to stay here with Grams!"

Patty sighed and shook her hair out of her face. Piper, usually the most content of her children, was in rare form today and Patty completely lacked the energy for it. With effort, Patty boosted Phoebe higher on her hip while trying to mind the baby slung on her chest. "I told you already, sweetie. We're going to live in our own apartment now. And it's going to be so nice. You'll love it."

"I will not!"

"Piper, honey, please don't argue with me right now. We have to get going."

To Patty's horror, Piper's eyes welled with tears and she crossed her arms; a classic pose of a temper tantrum in the making. "I wanna say goodbye to Grams!"

"Stop being a baby," Prue ordered Piper. "It's not like we're never going to see her again. Right, Mom?"

"Prue, hold Piper's hand." Patty averted her eyes from Prue's in addition to the non-sequitur in an attempt to dodge the question. She had purposely chosen Halloween to run away in order to avoid her mother. If Penny knew what she and Sam were doing, she'd kill them both. Or turn them in. Patty wasn't sure which was worse.

"How are we getting to the apartment?" asked Prue. "Grams has the car."

"My friend Sam is going to take us. You remember Sam, right girls?"

"I don't like Sam! I don't want to go!"

"Piper Calandra Halliwell, quiet down this instant! I am your mother; you're going to do what I say!" Patty swallowed; the words bitter in her mouth. She never yelled at her girls and doing so now she felt like a poor imitation of her own mother. Would this be her life from now on?

Piper leaned into Prue and stuck her thumb into her mouth, temporarily quelled into submission. Unwilling to give in entirely, she gave a loud sniffle to remind Patty that she was still upset. Unfortunately for Piper, Patty could hardly feel guilty in light of finally being able to think free of noise. Sam was supposed to have met them over an hour ago. Something had obviously gone wrong. For Patty, though, the back-up plan was almost unthinkable.

As if to reinforce her anxiety, the grandfather clock in the foyer rang in ten o'clock, defiantly reminding her that her mother would be home within the hour. It seemed that she had no choice. "Girls," she said, "wait right here. I'm going to call your dad."

"Dad?" echoed Prue. "Why?"

"I'm going to see if he can come pick us up."

"I thought Sam was picking us up."

Piper pulled her thumb from her mouth. "I'd rather have Daddy. Call Daddy, Mom."

Patty made her way to the kitchen without further comment, trying her best not to wake either of the sleeping children draped over her body. Somehow she managed to maintain her grip on Phoebe one-handed and use the other to dial the familiar number. On the eighth ring, miraculously, Victor picked up.

"Hello?"

"Victor. It's Patty. I'm in big trouble and I need your help."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter Two**

_June 5, 1995_

"Philomena Samantha Halliwell."

Phil stepped up onto the stage to receive her diploma without once scanning the crowd. She knew that her parents and sisters had certainly showed up to watch her graduate, but she hadn't talked to them in three days and she wasn't about to start now. Every bone in her body still felt the sting of betrayal; she was sure she'd been scarred from the inside-out by their lies and that the pain would never heal.

Diploma in hand, Phil left the stage with every intention of quietly escaping the stadium before someone managed to corner her. Unfortunately, her mother knew her too well for her own good; Phil spotted her the moment she descended the final stair. Phil ripped her cap from her head and turned on toe to head in the other direction, not caring how much attention she might attract. Behind her she heard her mother calling her name, but she kept her brisk pace, determined to get away.

Just as Phil was about to slip through the fence surrounding the designated graduation area, a hand clapped down on her shoulder.

"Just where do you think you're going, young lady? You're supposed to return to your seat directly after receiving your diploma. We practiced this. Three times as I recall."

Phil glared at the assistant principal—what could he do to her now anyway?—and wrenched away from his grip. "I don't have time for this! I have to get out of here!"

As if on cue, her mother stepped up beside them, breathless. "I've got this, thank you," she said to assistant principal Philipps, who finally turned and left them alone reluctantly. Her mother reached out a hand to touch her arm and Phil stepped away from her touch. "Phil, please, I have to talk to you."

"Don't you mean _Paige_?" Phil asked angrily?

"Sweetheart, I know you're mad at me, but if we could just go somewhere and talk about this rationally…"

"You kidnapped me, Mom! There's nothing rational about that!"

"You were _my_ child! I never wanted to give you away in the first place and I had every right to take you back!"

"But you did give me away! You handed me off to strangers and then a couple months later you stole me back! Did you really think I'd never find out?" Phil turned and began to storm away from her mother again, but this time her mother stayed right on her heel.

"I promise, I'll tell you everything, and I mean everything, if you'll just come home with me now. Please."

Phil stopped short and swung around to face her mother again. They were the same height now and Phil liked being able to stare her down. "Everything, huh? About my father too?"

Her mother gasped as though she'd been slapped. "What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought you meant by 'everything.'" Phil rolled her eyes. "You were lying again! You weren't ever going to tell me that Dad isn't really my dad, right? Well guess what, I already know! I found someone who doesn't want to just keep feeding me more lies about my entire life!"

"Phil, please…"

Phil shook her head. "We're done, Mom. For good."

When Phil left this time, her mother didn't follow.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter Three**

_October 31, 1987_

Louis Matthews slowly approached his front door, feeling much older than his forty-two years. It was more than aching bones or weary muscles; it was a crushing exhaustion that stemmed from his very soul. Most days this fatigue wore on him like a constant, numbing pain. But there were two days of the year that it simply became overwhelming; this was one; August second was the other.

Placing his hand on the doorknob, Louis tried to pull from deep inside of himself some strength to open the door and go inside to face his wife. For Theresa the pain manifested in a strangely obsessive behavior: a massive cleaning of the house that verged on purging almost anything not nailed down. To Louis' exhaustion, it played a nearly manic alternative that he never felt he had the energy for. Then, eventually, there would be nothing left to clean, nothing left to throw away, and Theresa would break down sobbing.

Ten years ago today, their one and only child, their beautiful three-month-old girl, had been stolen away in the dead of night never to be seen again.

The case was baffling to be sure. No fingerprints. No sign of a break-in. Not one scrap of evidence to indicate who had been in the room. Just an empty crib and a note that read, "We're so sorry." As if that made up for the fact that Paige had been taken.

Theresa was convinced that it had been the birth parents. In those first few months she often cried herself to sleep thinking that Paige was off with monsters who couldn't really care for her. That if she was lucky she would end up in the system within a few months. Louis wasn't so sure, though he could never come up with any explanation remotely plausible in his mind.

Because who would ever, ever, take a baby away from her parents?

He was beginning to think he'd never know.

_October 31, 1977_

Sam orbed into the dark bedroom and cautiously peered around room. The purple walls and friendly pictures of dancing teddy bears sent a thrill of guilt down his spine. Somehow as right as this was—and it had to be right—it also felt horribly, horrible wrong. The ambivalence made him feel slightly nauseated and he closed his eyes for a couple of minutes to wash the feeling away.

When Sam finally gained control of himself, he crept across the room to the crib and looked down at his sleeping daughter. He's spent three months discreetly watching over her; keeping his distance in order to keep the Elders in the dark. Now, seeing her in person, looking down at her lovely dark head of hair and chubby baby cheeks, Sam felt so overwhelmed by love that he couldn't possibly remember how he and Patty had ever thought they could give up their daughter. How they had allowed Penny to convince them it was rational to leave her in the hands of strangers, he'd never know. She was theirs, completely.

Gently, Sam picked up his daughter and cradled her close to his chest, already promising to never let her go again. In her empty crib, he placed the note Patty had written earlier and then orbed from the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter Four**

_June 5, 1995_

"I tried to talk to her, Victor, but she just won't listen." Patty pressed her head against her knees, letting her tears soak through the fabric and her hair fall around her like a curtain. She could count on one hand the number of times she'd felt so woeful—when her grandmother died; the night she and Sam had given Phil away; the moment she realized that Sam wasn't ever coming back—and she felt all the tears in the world couldn't express how she truly felt inside. "I should have told her the truth years ago."

"How were we supposed to know that she'd find out? She was three months old when you took her from the Matthews'. There was no way she'd remember them."

"It doesn't matter. I lied to her. I never should have lied."

"What good would the truth have done? She obviously doesn't know how to handle the information. I don't think it would have been any better coming from you."

Patty sat up and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her top. "I just wish I knew who had told her."

"Come on, Patty!"

"What?"

Victor shook his head in disbelief. "It had to have been your mother. Who else even knew?"

It was on the tip of Patty's tongue to suggest Sam. She'd never found out why he didn't come back. Perhaps he had finally been able—or willing—to return and once he'd discovered what she had done (raising Phil as Victor's all these years) he'd told Phil everything out of spite. But Sam, whatever flaws he'd had, had never been a bitter man and she couldn't imagine him hurting her in that way.

"It couldn't have been my mother," she said instead. "I cast that spell to keep her from ever finding me or the girls. She can't recognize any of us unless we introduce ourselves to her. And Phil never spent any time with my mother…why would she go to her now?"

Victor shrugged. "Do you really think she hasn't spent the past eighteen years looking for you? She loved you and the girls."

"She loved the Charmed Ones."

Victor looked at her for a moment as though he wanted to say something else, but he held his tongue. Patty was thankful. Victor had never liked her mother—they had always fought like cats and dogs—but there had been several times over the years that he had suggested that Patty go talk to her. The idea was bittersweet; Patty did miss her mother, desperately, but she couldn't risk letting the Elders know where her girls were. She was too afraid of what they would do if they ever found her.

"Okay, so maybe it wasn't your mother," Victor conceded, though Patty doubted he was telling the truth. "It still wouldn't hurt to check. So what if I go over there to talk to her?"

"You?"

"I know you think it's a long shot—"

"I think she'll slam the door in your face."

"—but it can't hurt."

Patty looked past Victor to the picture of her girls that rested on the dresser. She'd taken it a few days after they'd taken Phil back; her first picture of all four of her girls. The moment had been so perfect; finally seeing them all together like it always should have been.

"You're right," she said with a nod. "It can't hurt."


	5. Chapter 5

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter Five  
**

June 6, 1995

Prue maintained vague memories of her life before the night they left the manor. She knew she had a Grams with a stern face and a loving hug. She'd had a best friend named Andy who liked to play cowboys and Indians. And she remembered being told never to go up in the attic or down in the basement. However, the rest of her early childhood remained a smudged watercolor painting: blurred and unclear.

Those first few weeks after they'd left she recalled a lot of tears and a lot of questions that were never answered. Eventually, she and Piper somehow formed the conclusion that Mom had fallen out with Grams and they were no longer speaking. The assumption on their part had never been contradicted or confirmed, but Prue had a horrible feeling now that the mysterious reason Phil had run away had something to do with why they had left all those years ago. Sitting at the kitchen table with her other sisters and her parents, she felt determined not to leave until they finally got some answers.

"So Phil still won't come home?" Phoebe hugged her knees to her chest and frowned.

"No. We're not even sure where she's staying. Your father thinks she's at my mother's. He's going to go over to see later today."

"I think we should be the ones to go," said Piper quietly. "We didn't keep anything from her. She'll probably be more likely to talk to us." Prue nodded in agreement.

Patty shook her head emphatically. "I'm not risking you going there when we don't even know if Phil is there or not."

"What exactly is the risk, Mom?"

For a moment, Patty looked startled at the question. Then she sighed and clasped her hands in the table in front of her. "There are a lot of things that you girls don't remember about when you were younger. I really never planned to bring them up if I didn't have to, but now that Phil knows…"

"Mom, you're scaring us," said Piper. "Please just tell us what's going on."

"I'm not even sure where to start."

"The beginning is usually good," said Phoebe. Prue kicked her underneath the table.

"Well do you remember when your father and I were…separated?"

"Divorced."

"Yes." Patty frowned. "Well, I got involved with someone at the time. Sam. Do you remember him?"

Prue thought back, but the year that her parents had been divorced was almost completely blank. "No," she said after a moment.

"Well Sam…" Patty sighed.

"Sam is Phil's biological father," Victor supplied.

Prue started as though she'd been slapped in the face, and Piper gave a strange little laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," said Patty. "The truth is that Sam and I weren't supposed to be together. It was against the rules."

"What rules?"

"This…this is going to sound crazy, girls, but the truth is…well, the truth is that I'm a witch."

This time the table reigned in a stunned silence. Prue exchanged a look of disbelief with Piper and Phoebe, opening and closing her mouth several times to comment to no avail. Her mother, usually so practical, had apparently lost her mind.

"It's true," their father put in. "I didn't believe her when she told me either, but, well, show them, Patty."

Unexpectedly, Patty threw the vase on the table into the air and spread out her hands. The vase froze in mid-air. Prue gasped, Piper backed her chair abruptly away from the table, and Phoebe said, "Awesome!" Victor snatched the vase out the air disdainfully and set it down on the table.

"I haven't done magic in years," said Patty. "Not since we first left the manor. And it was to protect our family, girls. Because the truth is, you four girls are witches too."

"No way!" said Phoebe. "You mean we have powers? Can I freeze things in the air too?"

"This is insane!" Prue shook her head, refusing to buy the idea that she supposedly had magic powers.

"It's the truth girls. I bound your powers to mine years ago. The only way you'll get them is if I die."

Phoebe leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Well that's lame."

"It's for your own good," said Patty. "The truth is that the Powers that Be—the Elders—don't know about Phil. She's my child with my Whitelighter, a relationship that's forbidden. If they ever found out I don't know what they'd do."

"What's a Whitelighter?"

"Well…it's kind of like a guardian angel."

"Kind of," put in Victor with a skeptical frown.

"In any case, Grams wanted me to give Phil up for adoption to protect her. And to protect your legacy. At first it seemed like the right thing to do, but after a couple of months, I…" Patty's eyes welled up with tears and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "She was my baby. I couldn't give her up to strangers."

"So what, Mom? You took her back?"

Almost imperceptibly, Patty nodded her head.

Victor took Patty's hand and looked at the girls with sad, serious eyes. "Your mom was worried that Grams would tell the Elders in order to protect you girls. That's why she left. That's why she cast a spell to keep Grams from finding you. That's why you've been safe for all of these years."

"How did Phil find out then?" asked Phoebe.

Victor sighed. "Well, that's what we have to find out."

Slowly, Prue stood up on shaky legs. For a moment, she wanted to scream at her parents. She wanted to yell for their irresponsibility and their rash decisions; for keeping things from them and acting like victims because of it. But seeing her mother crying and her father looking so forlorn, the most Prue could manage was to stalk out of the house without saying a word.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter Six**

_October 31, 1977_

Penny opened the front door, somewhat surprised to find all of the lights in the house still on. Although she had begged Patty to find a babysitter and come out with her, not even the promise of alcohol or promiscuous dancing had been enough to persuade her stubborn daughter. In fact, getting Patty to leave the house at all as of late had been almost impossible. It worried Penny how deeply depressed her daughter had been—she'd been in bed for nearly six weeks after giving up the baby—but she had hoped that by now, nearly three months later, she might finally have been getting back to normal.

That Penny might finally have had a reason to assuage some of her guilt.

She wondered on a nearly daily basis if she was wrong to make Patty give the baby away. All of her logical arguments of wrath of a higher power and the future of her granddaughters and the consequences for Patty and Sam and the baby seemed completely pointless in the face of Patty's pain and suffering. To watch Patty wasting away was as bad as or worse than any possible punishment the Elders could dole out. Or perhaps as Patty's mother she was merely experiencing the horrible grief of watching her child in pain. But there was no way to fix it now. The baby was gone and the best Penny could do was to find some way to help Patty move on with her life.

Penny wandered through the downstairs without paying much attention to her surroundings: dropping her keys on the table next to the door; shedding her coat and draping it over the couch; heading towards the kitchen to get a glass of water. In her distraction she didn't notice the eerie silence of the house, so it was to her great surprise when she sat down at the kitchen table and noticed a sealed envelope with the word, "Mom" scrawled on the front in Patty's hand. Immediately, Penny heart sank. With a trembling hand she snatched the letter off of the table and tore it open.

_Mom,_

_I'm sorry to leave this way, especially without saying goodbye, but I don't know what else to do. In the past three months I've realized something: I would rather be a mother than a witch; I care more about my girls than the greater good; and I can't go on living every day like I don't have another baby girl. So Sam and I decided to take our baby back. I know that you're probably furious, but I just couldn't bear another day of living like this, Mom. _

_The girls and I are somewhere safe. If everything goes as planned, the Elders will never know. I cast a spell to keep them from finding us…to keep you from finding us. I'm so sorry, Mom, but I just didn't know what else to do. I will miss you every day of the rest of my life. Please, just always remember that. And that I love you. I love you so much._

_Thank you for being the best mother you knew how to be. Hopefully you can understand why I'm doing this._

_Love,_

_Patty_

Penny lowered the letter slowly, the last sentence echoing again and again in her mind. Understand? How could she not now?

Patty was taking away Penny's daughter, just as Penny had taken hers.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter Seven**

_October 31, 1977_

Patty was already outside with the girls when Victor pulled up and she ushered the girls straight to the car with scarcely a gaze back at her home. As Victor started to get out to help her, she waved an impatient hand; "Stay in the car. We have to get going."

"Patty, what is going on?"

"I'll tell you later. Just get in the car."

"Whose baby—"

"Victor, please! For once in your life do what I ask!"

Victor narrowed his eyes, annoyed by the slight and tempted to remind her that they were divorced now and that he was doing her a favor. Truth be told, though, he had never seen Patty so skittish and her behavior was frightening him. He lowered himself back into the car and waited while she arranged the girls in the back seat. A minute later, Patty slipped into the passenger's side and said, "Do you know where Hawthorne Avenue is? The Mackerly Plaza?"

"Kind of."

"That's where we're going. I'll give you directions."

Victor nearly asked what was going on again, then shook his head, put the car into drive and pulled away from the curb. In the back seat, Piper gave a sniffle and then half-whined, half-cried, "I don't wanna go!"

Prue kicked the back of Victor's seat and whined back, "Stop crying, Piper!"

"Girls, please!" Patty snapped. "Stop arguing!"

In the rear-view mirror Victor saw Prue cross her arms over her chest and pull her sulking face; Piper hiccupped a few times and settled into a silent cry that only served to break his heart. "Patty," he said, under his breath, "maybe you should calm down a little."

Patty didn't respond, simply sinking down in the seat, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. The car fell into a not-entirely comfortable silence and Victor sighed.

Fifteen minutes into the drive, both Prue and Piper gave into sleep—their exhaustion probably a good part of their whining—and Victor decided to make another go at getting Patty to talk. "They're asleep," he said quietly. "Can you tell me what's going on now?"

"We're leaving my mother's," said Patty. "I'm giving up magic. We're all giving up magic."

"What?" Victor whipped his head to look at her and Patty hissed at him to keep his eyes on the road. "What are you talking about?"

"Look, I need you to stay calm. If you're going to freak out as you hear this then you'll have to wait until we get there."

"Patty, you're scaring me. Did something happen? A demon…?"

"No. Nothing like that. I'm just…done. I'm done with giving up what I want for the greater good. I'm done putting my girls at risk. I'm done."

"You couldn't have figured this out a year ago?" Victor asked, half-seriously, half-joking. Patty glared at him.

"That baby in the back seat…she's mine. Mine and Sam's. We're running away together."

Involuntarily, Victor clenched the steering wheel, grinding his teeth together. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked under his breath. "Damn it, Patty!"

"Calm down! This has nothing to do with you!"

"The hell it doesn't! You cheat on me with this bastard and now I'm driving you and your love child and _my_ daughters to your new love shack? What the hell?"

"I am not getting into this with you again! I never cheated on you! Get that through your thick skull!"

"I just knew he was nothing but trouble! I've known it since the first time I saw him leaning over you in the apartment!"

"Nothing happened while we were married! We've been divorced for a year!"

"Yeah? Well apparently you didn't waste any time! How old is your kid?"

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Patty deflate and he felt a surge of triumph that really didn't do anything to quell his rage. Who cared if he was right? The knowledge wouldn't give him his family back.

"Victor, please. I've had a long night. Can we not fight?"

Victor shook his head, more in disbelief than a denial to her request. "How did I not know? I know we haven't exactly been on the best terms, but I saw you last month when I picked up the girls. You didn't have a baby then."

Patty let out a tiny sigh. "That's why we're leaving, Victor. Mom made me give up the baby after I had her. It wasn't working. I couldn't…deal with it. So Sam and I took her back."

"Wait, what?" Victor gave a shaky laugh. "How could you just take her back? Patty?"

"We just…took her."

"You mean you kidnapped her?"

"No! She's my daughter, Victor!"

"But you gave her up!"

"I didn't want to!"

Victor rolled his eyes. "You're a piece of work, you know that? Damn it, Patty! What if they catch you? What about our girls?"

"I took care of it. I cast a spell. The Elders aren't going to find us. Neither is my mother."

"Yeah, I meant the police. Do you really think those people who had that baby aren't going to report her missing?"

"It doesn't matter. They won't find her. I'm changing her name. I covered all of my bases."

Victor pulled into the parking lot of Patty's new apartment complex, jerking the car into a parking space and finally turning to look at her. "Patty, this is insane! What were you thinking?"

Patty dropped her head and looked at her lap for a moment. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were wet with tears. "I wasn't thinking, Victor. All I know is that she's mine, and I couldn't just let her go. Can't you understand that?"

Victor glanced back at his three sleeping daughters; the girls he thought of and worried about every day, but had seen maybe once a month since the divorce. Could he give them up forever, if it was better for them?

"I don't know, Patty. I just…don't know."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/n: **To **Princess Pinky**: Oh, honestly, I completely forgot about the existence of the Christmas home video (probably because I don't watch that episode too often—I hated the original actor's portrayal of Victor)! That was a goof on my part. Even in my original timeline for my story Legacy, I had Victor and Patty separating for good in August of 1976 and divorcing in mid-to-late October. Almost right after, Patty got together with Sam (in my universe they didn't have an affair, just an intense flirtation that simply added to all of the other problems Victor and Patty were already having).

As for the name Philomena, I actually wrote a short section on that in my other story, "Moments after the Summer Dies," which anyone can check out if they feel inclined.

Thank you to everyone who has left me feedback on this story! I really appreciate it and thank you for sticking with me through this haywire project.

-_Katie_

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter Eight**

_January 21, 1995_

Penny tapped her fingers against the Book of Shadows, still uncertain that she was making the right decision. After years of failed spells and no supernatural leads, Penny was finally ready to resort to a solution to finding her daughter that she had never seriously considered. But she was worried. Worried that she was being selfish and risking Patty's well-being, worried that the plan might backfire, and worried that even if this worked, Patty still might refuse to see her.

But after seventeen years, what other choice did she have?

The doorbell rang and Penny shut the Book, ready to take action regardless of how indecisive she really felt. It was time. Out of habit, she locked the attic door behind her and slowly descended the steps. Andy, bless him, had the courtesy to only ring the doorbell once more, unlike that horrid pizza delivery boy who practically leaned on the bell until she arrived. With a flourish meant mostly for show, Penny opened the door and gave Andy a dazzling grin.

"Andy, dear," she said. "Hi! How are you?" Penny stepped back and opened the door wider to let Andy inside. He greeted her with a small hug and a kiss on the cheek that she didn't expect and she felt her eyes well up with tears.

"I'm good, Mrs. Halliwell. How are you?"

Penny gave a little shrug, trying and failing to regain her façade of confidence. Sadly, she led Andy into the living room. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked shakily.

"No, thank you." He sat down on the couch and Penny took the opposite chair, setting her hands on her knees to keep them from trembling. "I was a little surprised to get your call," Andy said. "Is everything okay?"

"Not really. Andy, I have to tell you, this isn't really a social call. I was talking to your mother and she said you'd gotten a job with the police."

Andy nodded. "Yes, that's right. I'm still kind of low in the ranks, but I'll work my way up."

"Of course you will. You've always been a smart boy. And you're still young. You have time." She pursed her lips, then took a deep breath and plunged into what could either be the best or worst decision she'd made in a long time. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"Maybe. Depends on the favor." Andy laughed, but Penny thought it seemed a little nervous. She'd seen less and less of him over the years and suddenly sitting with this adult, it was hard to think of him as the same little boy Prue used to chase around the house.

"I want you to help me find my daughter. And my granddaughters."

Andy sat up straighter. "What?"

"When they left so suddenly all those years ago, it wasn't because Patty suddenly got a new job like I told everyone. She left because we had…a falling out. I thought that maybe, someday, she'd come back, but it's been over seventeen years. I was hoping maybe you could help me find them."

"I don't know, Mrs. Halliwell. I mean, have you thought about hiring a private investigator. That's really more their line of work."

"I don't trust a private investigator, Andy. I want someone I know. Someone who I know cares." _Someone who can keep whatever secrets might come out,_ she thought.

"Well, I can understand that. And trust me I'd love to see Prue again. But I'm not sure—"

"Andy, please. I'm an old woman now. I just want to make peace with my daughter, to see my granddaughters all grown up, before I die."

Andy sighed, but Penny could see the spark of interest in his eyes that she had been hoping for. "I'll see what I can do."

Penny smiled genuinely this time. "Thank you," she said. "You have no idea what this means to me."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/n: **Sorry, this is a real short one tonight. I worked for about twelve hours today and I'm exhausted. I'll try to post a long chapter tomorrow to make up for it.

-_Katie_

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter Nine**

_October 31, 1977_

The Elders had been summoning him for about fifteen minutes now, and Sam felt anxious keeping them waiting. If they had even the slightest suspicion, to be late would only make things worse. Sam tried to ignore Patty's worried eyes as he handed her the baby and gave her a little smile. "It'll be fine," he said. "I'll be back before you know it."

"I don't think you should go. What if my spell didn't work? What if they know? What if you never come back?"

"Patty, they have ways of forcibly removing me if they want to. If they knew, I never would have made it here with Philomena."

"I still don't like it."

Sam kissed Patty on the cheek, but she wrapped her free arm around his neck and tugged him in for a longer kiss on the lips. She was kissing him like it was the last time and Sam felt his stomach knot. As much as he put up a brave from for Patty, he wasn't quite as certain as he pretended to be. The Elders very well might know what was going on. Patty's spell very well might not have worked. He had no idea what to expect.

"Please be careful," said Patty quietly. Sam leaned his forehead against hers, breathing her in, trying to memorize every tiny beautiful part of her.

"I will."

Sam kissed her one more time and then kissed his daughter on the forehead.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Sam orbed out.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter Ten**

_February 10, 1995_

Andy was parked outside a nondescript house in a nondescript neighborhood wishing he had a jacket. It was an oddly chilly day, which he hadn't realized when he left his apartment, and he'd been sitting in his car for longer than he expected. He couldn't say exactly why he'd decided to stake out—observe—the house. He could have just given Mrs. Halliwell the address and been done with it, but he'd just wanted to see for himself.

So far, he'd seen nothing but the house.

Mrs. Halliwell's request had been out-of-the-blue, but Andy had never been happier to do a favor for someone. The day that he'd found out Prue was gone he'd gone home and cried as though his life was over. She'd been his best friend and constant playmate. Without her, he'd felt adrift. In fact, it wasn't until the next year of school that he found another true friend. But Evan hadn't been the same as Prue.

Andy thought that if he could just see her again, for a moment…

He had no idea how to complete the thought.

A car came towards him, slowing on the way and Andy's heart beat faster. This was it. Finally. The car slowed even more dramatically, turning into the driveway of the house his eyes had been glued to for over an hour now. Andy peered out the window and his breath caught at the woman who got out of the car. He knew without a doubt—without hesitation—that it was Prue. She looked the same and completely different and just like her. Just like Prue.

In his distraction, Andy's hand slipped and he leaned on the horn, jumping at the loud sound. Across the street, Prue's head snapped in his direction. Andy was shocked a moment later when she began to march across the street. With a sigh of defeat, he rolled down the window and smiled sheepishly. "Hi Prue."

Prue furrowed her brow, looking at him suspiciously for a moment, and then her face melted into an expression of shock. "Andy?"

Awkwardly, Andy stuck his hand out of the window, taking hers in his and shaking it. "Hi."

"Hi."

They stared at one another a moment, then Prue shook her head, as though coming out of a stupor, and leaned into the car through the window, giving him a slightly uncomfortable hug. Too soon, she pulled back out. With a smile, she said, "What are you doing here?"

"I…well…I wanted to see you."

"So you came to my parents' house?"

"And here you are."

Prue pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and then crossed her arms over her chest protectively. "Well do you want to come in?"

"Are your parents home?"

Prue gave an odd laugh. "Well, yeah. Of course. But my mom would love to see you."

Andy glanced at the house. He knew he shouldn't. He had a promise to keep to Mrs. Halliwell and if he went into that house and spoke to Prue's mother the truth would spill out of him. Didn't Mrs. Halliwell deserve the same chance for a reunion that he had now?

"Actually," said Andy, "I have to get to work. But could we meet later tonight? For dinner?"

"Sure. It'll have to be late."

"That's okay." Andy dug out one of his cards and handed it to Prue. "Call me. I get off of work at eight."

Prue fingered the card without looking at it. "Okay. I will." She leaned in again, but this time gave him a small peck on the cheek. "It's great to see you again, Andy."

"You too, Prue."


	11. Chapter 11

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter Eleven**

_June 6, 1995_

Victor felt the same anxiety he always had standing outside the door of the manor. He was slightly disappointed that even after a seventeen year absence the mere idea of confronting Penny Halliwell made him want to throw up. Especially if Phil really was there; Penny would certainly have the upper hand. The entire experience was like being twenty-one again, waiting to pick Patty up for a date. He had a feeling this wouldn't go much better than that ever did.

The door opened and at the first glimpse of Victor, Penny glowered at him and folded her arms across her chest.

Yes, Victor was going to be lucky to cross the threshold.

"Hi Penny," he said.

"Victor. What the hell are you doing here?"

Victor folded his arms to mirror her pose. He'd nearly forgotten that the only way to deal with Penny was to face her head-on. _Don't let her see your fear_, he thought.

"I'm here for my daughter." Boldly, Victor elbowed past Penny into the house. He was shocked when she didn't send him flying telekinetically across the room; it had happened before.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you do. I don't know how you did it. How you finally got around Patty's spells, how you talked Phil into leaving home, how you plan on getting to our other daughters, but it's going to stop now." Victor turned away from Penny and hollered, "Philomena!"

"Victor, I'm not lying. She's not here."

"Where is she then?"

Penny shrugged casually. "She went out to see a friend. She'll be back."

"So she is staying here. What is going on, Penny? Why would you do this?"

"Why do you think? I want my family back. Do you have any idea what the past eighteen years have been like? I've been in hell, Victor. Absolute hell."

"And this is how you're going to get back on Patty's good side? By turning her daughter against her?"

Penny sighed. "I didn't mean to. I didn't have any idea that Philomena didn't know anything about her past and it all just…slipped out."

"I'm sure."

"Look, I'm trying to calm her down. The last thing I want to do is destroy Patty's relationship with her daughter."

"Maybe you want to interfere with Prue then, too. She stormed out of the house this morning after Patty told her the truth. She won't return Patty's calls now."

For the first time in all the years Victor had known her, Penny looked contrite. "Victor, I'm sorry. I really am. But I had to do it. I couldn't just go the rest of my life without ever seeing any of them ever again."

"What do you think is going to happen now, Penny? Do you really think Patty's just going to come over and make peace after this?"

"Victor, please. Don't you think, maybe, you could talk to her?"

Victor opened his mouth to refuse, to throw in Penny's face how detrimental she had been to his and Patty's marriage back when they were having problems, but before he could say anything, the front door opened and Phil walked in.

"Dad?" she said.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter Twelve**

_June 6, 1995_

Prue had stormed out of the house, Piper had disappeared somewhere to wrap her head around everything their mother had told them, and their dad had gone over to Grams' to look for Phil. Everyone seemed to need some sort of escape from the big bombshell that had been dropped; even their mom was trying to duck out of sight. Unfortunately for Patty, Phoebe had about a million questions and she was completely unwilling to let up.

"So what is my power? Telepathy? Flying? Ooh, can turn invisible?"

"Phoebe…"

"Come on, Mom. You started this whole true confessions thing. I want to know."

"You had premonitions. But it doesn't matter, Phoebe, because your powers have been bound since you were born. You're not getting them back."

"You took them away; you must have the power to bring them back! Premonitions…that's so cool! I could totally see if Troy's going to ask me out or not."

"That's not exactly how it works, Phoebe."

"What do you need a guardian angel for anyway? Or is that just like a thing everyone has but you know about because you're a witch?"

"Whitelighters are just for witches. And they're to protect you. Being a witch isn't a game; it's serious business. There are horrible monsters out to get you all the time; your life is constant in danger. It's not just a cool power."

"So we fight evil? Like superheroes?"

Patty pinched the bridge of her nose and Phoebe knew she was wearing on her mother's already frayed nerves. She couldn't help herself, though; despite what her mother said, this was the most amazing thing she'd ever learned. She'd always known she was meant for more than the ordinary. This was why.

"Mom, you have to give us our powers back. I mean, what are these Elder guys really going to care, anyway? We're going to fight evil for them! They should be kissing our asses!"

"They don't exactly see it that way, Phoebe."

"Whatever happened to your Whitelighter anyway? Did you break up? Did you leave him for Dad?"

"I don't know what happened to Sam, Phoebe. I never found out. He went to speak with the Elders and never came back. I called for him, waited for months, but…" Patty trailed off and gave a small sigh.

For the first time, Phoebe's excitement faded. Suddenly her mother looked older than her forty-five years; tired and worn-down and sad. "Don't you want to know why?" she asked quietly. "Couldn't you ask the Elders?"

"And risk them finding you girls?"

"Mom, what do you think they're going to do to us that's so bad?"

"I don't know, Phoebe. And I don't plan on finding out."

"But Mom, what if he's in trouble? What if he's been waiting all these years for you to rescue him?"

Patty frowned. "The Elders don't work that way. Look, you've always been my curious little girl, but Phoebe, I need you to let this go. It's all in the past." She planted a kiss on the top of Phoebe head. "It's over." Patty walked out of the room, leaving Phoebe alone.

"It's over," Phoebe repeated, under her breath. Except for the fact that all of this was happening right now at this moment, tearing their family apart. Maybe it wasn't a matter of just finding Phil and getting her to come back home. Would everything really just go back to normal after that? Phoebe couldn't believe that they'd all just forget this.

No, really, this was all about bringing the whole family back together. Grams and Mom and Prue and Piper and Phil and Dad and her…and Phil's father too. They needed to heal.

And Phoebe could only think of one way to do this.

Now she just had to figure out how to call a Whitelighter.


	13. Chapter 13

**The Changing Wind**

a story by **Ryeloza**

**Chapter Thirteen**

_February 10, 1995_

"You'll never guess who I just ran into outside."

"Who?" asked Victor, not even glancing up from his newspaper. Prue ignored this slight and sat down across from him, looking from her mother to her father expectantly awaiting their reactions. "Andy Trudeau," she said.

Her father continued to read the paper, making no more than a small acknowledgement of: "Oh that's nice." On the other hand, her mother stopped short in the middle of hanging some cheesy Valentine's Day decorations and gave Prue a concerned expression.

"Andy Trudeau? As in your best friend from when you were seven?"

"Yeah," said Prue.

"He just showed up outside?"

"He was waiting for me. He looked me up."

"But you don't live here anymore."

Prue shrugged. "I guess he found this address for me first. I don't know. Does it matter?"

"Yes, it matters. It's odd."

"Mom, it's just Andy. Not even just Andy. Andy as a cop. See, he gave me his card: Officer Andy Trudeau."

If anything, her mother only looked more agitated by this revelation. "A cop?"

"We're going out to dinner tonight."

"What happened to that other guy?" asked Victor. He waved his hand as if the gesture would conjure the name he sought. "Uh…Raymond."

"Ryan?"

"Yeah. Him."

"We've only gone out a couple of times. And Andy and I are just friends anyway. He's known me since I was in diapers."

Victor finally looked up. "Oh, so you knew him when you lived with your grandmother."

"Yeah. Haven't you been listening?"

Victor glanced over at Patty and then back to his paper, but Prue could tell his attention was still primarily focused on her. He was faking nonchalance. "Do you really think this is a good idea? You're going to make Ryan jealous."

"It's just dinner, Dad. Besides, Ryan and I aren't really going anywhere. I probably won't even see him again."

"It's just dinner, Patty," he said, as though her mother hadn't heard what Prue had just said.

"What's going on?" asked Prue. "Why don't you want me to go out with Andy?"

"It just makes me anxious, that's all. Him showing up out of the blue like this. It's odd."

Prue resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew parents had a right to worry, but this was ridiculous. "It's just _Andy_," she said again. "And he's a _cop_. Am I missing something?"

"Prue, it's fine," said her father. "You go out to dinner. Have a nice time."

"Thanks for the permission," said Prue, unable to hide the sarcasm. She was twenty-four years old, for goodness sakes. She didn't even live here anymore. With a sigh she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the box that held the necklace she'd borrowed from her mom a couple of nights ago. "Here," she said, setting the box on the table. "Thanks for the loan, Mom." She stood up and headed for the door.

"Prue," said her mom, her tone somewhat apologetic.

"I'll see you guys later."


End file.
